Page 21 of Fractured Souls

He looks at me like he knows what I'm about to do. “Kid, this isn't a good idea. I know that look. Don't go getting yourself killed over this. We have no idea what this shit means, so let's take it one step at a time.”

“No, you don't know. Just print off the papers, Nerds.”

He slowly nods and gets to it. I can't believe this. I may be the quiet one, the one who prefers not to get involved in certain things, and I keep what I say out loud to a minimum, but this? This affects my family. The people I care about the most. This changes everything.

Nerds finishes and hands me the papers with a sigh. Good. I'm glad he's not going to try and stop me. I don't think anything or anyone could right now.

I leave the tech room and head towards the offices. If I'm right, he’ll still be awake and working in his office. I don't even bother knocking. I slam the door open; my heart is pounding. I don't do confrontations, but I have to protect my family. I'll do whatever it takes.

Rage looks up from his desk when he hears the door slam open, and he looks pissed that I didn't knock. I don't even care right now.

I march in, throw the papers on the desk, and cross my arms, preparing myself for whatever is about to happen. Rage looks down and picks up the papers, slowly beginning to flip through them. The more he reads, the more his brows furrow with confusion.

“Grayson, what—”

I cut him off, “Please don’t lie to me, Rage. I am a lot of things, but I am not stupid, and I know what that says, and I fully understand it. We have a problem.”

Rage nods, letting out a deep breath. ”We do.”

ChapterNine

Harley

“Ido this because I loved your mother, and she'd be so disappointed in you. You spoke to someone. You betrayed your family. I can only imagine how disgusted she'd be with you.”The words replay in my head over and over again as I lay here.

It's been a few days. I can't even tell you what day of the week it is. I've been stuck in the basement. The beatings are bad. My whole body is aching all over. I know I have some broken ribs and I'm covered in bruises and welts.

I feel numb. I don't know what I'm supposed to do now. They think I told someone something but they won't tell me what it is I apparently said or to whom. I wish someone would take me from here. Tabby came down here last night. I thought she was coming to help me, like an idiot. But she just said I was trash and belittled me and then laughed and left.

I slowly get off my bed and limp towards the bathroom, but before I get there, I stop and my whole body freezes up as memories from the last few days hit me all at once.

…Father fills the sink with water and dunks me in it over and over again, barely letting me breathe, screaming at me while Mother stands to the side yelling about how I'm failing and disappointing my mom…

…Mother rips me up off the floor, throws me into the shower, turns it on cold, cuffs my hands to the handle on the wall of the shower and locks me in. They left me for well over an hour. With freezing cold water raining down all over me and no escape from it with the shower being so small. When she got me out, she used a violet wand on me over and over again until I passed out…

…I'm left hooked to the ceiling again. Father comes down and says Mother had to go run an errand, so it's just him. He stares at my breasts and tells me it's a shame he can't sample me. He grabs my breasts in a bruising grip then looks amused as he pinches my nipples as hard as he can before laughing at the whimper I let out before he leaves…

…Mother comes down later on. “Whoring yourself out to your father? You disgust me.” She stares at the big handprint bruises forming on both of my breasts and then sneers, “I was going to let you down, but I think you need to stay longer, you whore.”

I scream, my voice hoarse, “No, please! Please don't leave me up here. I need to pee. Please, Mother, please.”

She laughs, “Whores don't get a say.” She slaps me across the face…

I come out of my memories of the last few days to realize I fell to the floor and I'm sobbing hard. I try to pull it together, but it takes a while, and I end up in more pain from sobbing so hard. I can't do this anymore. The first chance I have, I am gone. I will never ever come back here again.

At least a day later, Mother comes down and takes off my ankle cuff. “Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, so you need to clean the house today. Do not try anything, Harley. You are no match for me.”

I follow her upstairs and get to cleaning. It takes almost all day because of how slow I am moving. They always keep an eye on me, which I can't even fault them for because if I had a chance and knew I could make it, I'd have left right away.

I feel so broken down and devastated. There are so many questions swirling around in my mind, and I have no answers. I can't ask for any either, my body is already struggling, and I can only imagine what else she would do to me if I asked questions. I've done everything that they have asked. I don't even try to talk to anyone at school. I play the mute girl, not that I could talk much anyways with whatever it is they make me drink.

But still, I don't even try. Why not? Obviously, whether I listen and obey or not doesn't matter. They still assume I did something wrong, and I don't think that'll ever change.

I think I hold onto this false hope that there is no way Mother can always be this bad. Maybe it is just me and I need to find a way to be better and then maybe she'll change. I mean, how can my mom and Mother be sisters when they are so completely different?Simple, one's a devil and one's an angel.

I need to let go of that hope that I know will never become a reality and just plan to get the hell out of here.

Sometimes I feel myself slipping into believing what they say to me.

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